What this means
Before vomiting a cat may pace restlessly, drool, swallow repeatedly and heave with its belly, then bring up the stomach contents. This differs from regurgitation, where food simply falls out without effort. What comes up says a lot, so it is worth noticing whether it is undigested food, foam, yellow liquid, hair or blood, and how long after eating it happened.
Many cats bring up a hairball now and then, and that can be nothing serious. But vomiting that keeps happening is not just how a cat is, even if it otherwise looks bright: a vet should find the cause. Cats hide illness, so the first sign is sometimes only that the cat has hidden away, is eating less or has stopped grooming as it used to.
Prolonged vomiting quickly dries the body out and wears a cat down, especially a kitten, an elderly cat or one that already has another illness. If a cat does not eat for a day or more after vomiting, it needs to be examined, because cats without food can become seriously ill very quickly. Do not try to give or change anything at home instead of an examination. Note how many times and when it vomited, what the vomit looked like and whether it is eating and drinking, and show this to your vet.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your cat.
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Hairballs
When grooming, a cat swallows hair that can collect in the stomach and be brought up. A single hairball with no other signs is not necessarily serious, but vomiting that keeps happening needs to be investigated.
About the condition: Hairballs -
A change of food or eating too fast
A sudden change of food, or food gulped down too quickly, can irritate the stomach. The vomiting then comes soon after a meal.
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A swallowed object that should not have been
Thread, ribbon, plastic or other objects can irritate or block the digestive tract. The vomiting then tends to repeat and the cat stops eating.
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Inflammation or infection of the stomach or gut
An irritated or infected digestive tract can cause vomiting, along with diarrhoea, listlessness or a poorer appetite.
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Food allergy or intolerance
In some cats a part of the food sets off an immune reaction. Besides itching and skin changes, vomiting or diarrhoea can appear.
About the condition: Food and seasonal allergies -
Constipation or a widened large bowel
When stools are held back for a long time, a cat can feel unwell and vomit. You will usually also see it straining in the litter box for a long while.
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Disease of other organs, and cancer
Kidney, liver or hormone problems, and lymphoma of the gut, can show as vomiting together with weight loss and a poorer appetite.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- How many times and when your cat has vomited
- What the vomit looks like: undigested food, foam, yellow liquid, hair or blood
- Whether your cat eats and drinks as usual
- Whether it passes stools and whether they look normal
- Whether it is losing weight or its energy has changed
- Whether it could have chewed thread, ribbon, plastic or other non-food items
When to book a routine visit
Book an examination if your cat keeps vomiting, vomits for more than a day, or is eating less or losing weight, even if it otherwise looks bright. If your cat has not eaten for a day or more, contact a vet the same day.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Chronic kidney disease Kidneys and urinary tract A disease in which the kidneys slowly, over months or years, lose their ability to clean the blood and concentrate urine. It develops quietly, so its first signs are easy to put down to old age.
- Food and seasonal allergies Skin and coat A condition in which a cat's immune system overreacts to something in its food or in its surroundings, such as pollen, house dust mites or moulds. It shows mainly as itching, and the cat scratches and licks until the skin is damaged.
- Gastrointestinal conditions Digestion and liver A general name for upsets of the stomach and intestines: a cat vomits, has diarrhoea or constipation, or loses its appetite. Some pass quickly while others point to a more serious illness, so it matters how long they last.
- Hairballs Digestion and liver Clumps of swallowed hair that form in the stomach when a cat takes in more hair while grooming than its gut can pass on. A single hairball brought up is not necessarily serious, but hairballs that keep coming, or that come with a loss of appetite, show that something is wrong.
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) Hormones and metabolism A disease in which the thyroid, a small gland at the front of the neck, makes too much hormone. The whole metabolism speeds up, so the cat loses weight even though it eats more than ever.
- Intestinal worms Parasites Parasites that live in a cat's gut: roundworms, tapeworms and others. They take nutrients, irritate the gut and can slow a kitten's growth.
- Lymphoma Cancer A cancer that arises from lymphocytes, the white blood cells that defend the body against disease. Because these cells are found throughout the body, lymphoma can affect the gut, the lymph nodes, the chest, the kidneys or other organs.
- Megacolon Digestion and liver A condition in which the large bowel widens and can no longer push stools onward. The stools build up inside it and harden, so the cat cannot pass them for a long time.
- Pancreatitis Digestion and liver Inflammation of the pancreas, a gland beside the stomach and gut. In cats it can show only as a few vague signs, such as listlessness and a lost appetite, so it is easy to miss.
- Feline panleukopenia (feline distemper) Infections A highly contagious viral disease that attacks the gut and the bone marrow, so the number of white blood cells in the blood suddenly drops. It is especially dangerous for kittens and can become life-threatening within a short time.
- Pica General health A cat chews and swallows things that are not food: wool and other fabrics, plastic, paper, cables or thread. It is more than an odd habit, because a swallowed object can block the gut.
- Urethral blockage Kidneys and urinary tract A condition in which the urethra, the narrow tube that carries urine out of the bladder, is blocked by a plug or a small stone, and the cat can no longer pass urine. It is an emergency that can threaten life within hours.
Body systems: Kidneys and urinary tract Skin and coat Digestion and liver Hormones and metabolism Parasites Cancer Infections General health